Chapter 18: The Path of the Senior Brother
Far beyond Green Mountain Pass, in a remote area where humans rarely ventured, the continuous mountain ranges stretched as far as the eye could see. The mountains’ bodies were a deep, rich green, with dense vegetation and thick, broad leaves that seemed to exude a thick, dark green liquid.
The towering trees were enormous, with some reaching heights of several dozen meters, and their trunks were so wide that five or six adults would be needed to encircle them. The trees stood tall, their canopies a vibrant green, and their leaves rustled softly in the breeze.
From a higher vantage point, the sea of treetops stretched out endlessly, with layer upon layer of foliage. Demonic beasts roamed freely in this area, with low-level demonic beasts being extremely common, and occasionally, advanced-level demonic beasts would appear.
However, amidst this vast forest, there was a specific region where demonic beasts rarely dared to tread, as if they feared something.
In this area, the peaks were steep and treacherous, with ancient forests covering the slopes. At the summit of a towering mountain, a magnificent palace stood, surrounded by pavilions, towers, and winding corridors. A small bridge flowed with water, and spiritual birds flitted about, adding to the serene atmosphere.
Above the mountain waist, the clouds and mist swirled, coiling around the pavilions, towers, and bamboo paths. It was as if one could reach out and grasp the wind and clouds.
At the summit, a massive platform stretched out, approximately a thousand meters in length. The platform’s stone pavement was polished to a high sheen, and standing on it, one felt tiny and insignificant.
Behind the platform, a grand staircase led to a magnificent palace, which pierced the clouds, its peak disappearing into the heavens.
At this moment, two people were engaged in conversation within the palace.
One of them sat in a large, ornate chair, adorned with intricate carvings of various ferocious beasts. The beasts were either fierce, evil, or sinister, all seemed to emanate a cold, dark glow, as if they were alive.
The person sitting in the chair had a long, white beard, was around thirty years old, with a pale, jade-like complexion, narrow eyes, and wore a scholar’s hat. He wore a long, blue robe, and his slender figure exuded a sense of profound cultivation.
The other man sat below him on the left. He was an old man in his sixties, wearing a dark green robe, with a somewhat thin figure, a face like an eagle, and a pair of extremely cold eyes. His ten fingers were withered, holding the armrests of the chair like eagle claws.
The two of them sat in the grand hall, looking extremely small, like two ants in a vast imperial palace.
“Peak Master, I have arranged for the law enforcement disciples to release a message-carrying bird, to bring back information. A pile of dry bones was found outside a suspected cultivator’s ruins 700,000 miles away from here.”
“After using secret methods to detect, we have confirmed that it is the remains of that outer sect disciple who betrayed us seven years ago.”
The hawk-like old man spoke to the middle-aged scholar, his face twisted in hatred, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.
“Ah, a cultivator’s ruins seventy thousand miles away? Did the law-enforcing disciples find anything that the traitorous disciple stole?”
The blue-robed scholar looked down at the hawk-like old man.
“There’s nothing, only a damaged storage bag was found next to the dry bones, but as for other things…”
The hawk-like old man shook his head, his expression helpless.
“This incident has already caused our peak to lose face in front of the other four peaks. Although the traitor only stole our sect’s entry-level cultivation method, it’s still something that others shouldn’t cultivate.”
The scholar frowned.
“Especially since it contains the basic formula for refining the body, which must not be leaked out. Otherwise, why should we care about the entry-level cultivation method?”
He thought for a moment, his long fingers tapping lightly on his thigh, before continuing.
“Send some of our law-enforcing disciples to expand the search area. They can start by investigating the medicine shops, whether they’re ordinary people’s shops or those of cultivators. As long as someone has taken our entry-level cultivation method, they might be able to cultivate it. I don’t want to see non-sect disciples in the condensation period appearing outside in the future.”
The hawk-like old man’s eyes flashed with a fierce light.
“Yes, Master! I also think that if we discover someone cultivating it, we should execute them according to our sect’s rules. After killing them, we’ll take their soul and feed it to the soul-devouring silkworms, making them suffer in both life and death. Then, we’ll announce it to the other sects as a warning.”
…
Outside Green Mountain Pass, in the valley.
Li Yan, with the help of Military Advisor Ji, was diligently cultivating every day, passing the time in repetition. Li Yan also gradually felt that as his cultivation progressed, his teacher’s piano melody was no longer able to suppress the fiery energy within him.
Especially in the past two days, he had been completing his cultivation in a half-awake, half-dazed state.
He knew that as his cultivation deepened, the piano melody was losing its effect on him. But for today’s Li Yan, this wouldn’t be a problem tomorrow, because tomorrow would be his 49th day of cultivation.
Early in the morning, when the sky was still dim, Li Yan pushed open the door and walked out, taking a stroll in the valley. He had been troubled by restlessness in his chest lately, making it hard for him to sleep.
Adding to that, he would be cultivating at the water’s edge today, so he decided to take a walk in the valley, breathing in the fresh autumn morning air, which might help alleviate some of the anxiety in his chest.
About half an hour later, Li Yan returned to his room, where a woman had brought his breakfast. He ate a few bites, but soon lost his appetite, and sat cross-legged on the floor.
Not long after, there was a knock at the door, and Li Yan opened his eyes. Outside, Chen An and Li Ying were standing.
“Young Master, the Master has instructed us to place the copper stove by the water’s edge,” Chen An said.
“Thank you, both of you.”
Li Yan nodded, and since entering the valley, he had little contact with others, mostly just the woman who brought his meals and these two.
These people were very respectful towards him, which he initially found uncomfortable, but over time, he grew accustomed to their etiquette.
As the two men carried the copper stove out, Li Yan followed them, and soon Chen An and Li Ying had placed the stove near the water’s edge.
The two men pushed the stove back and forth, ensuring it was stable, before turning to walk towards Military Advisor Ji’s cultivation room.
At this time, the door to the cultivation room was closed, and the two men stood outside, waiting silently.
Li Yan stood in front of his room, not speaking to the two men, but gazing at the copper stove by the water’s edge.
For some reason, looking at the copper stove and the water, he suddenly thought of his senior brother, who had died suddenly a month after entering the valley.
The phrase “a month” kept repeating in Li Yan’s mind, “forty-nine days”, which was less than two months, and he wondered if it was just a coincidence. He fell into deep thought.
“Young Master, Young Master… the Master is calling you!”
The calls broke his reverie, and he looked up to see Li Ying walking towards him, calling out softly.
In the distance, Military Advisor Ji was standing by the water’s edge, and the copper stove had been set up with a familiar copper basin.
Li Yan didn’t know how long he had been lost in thought, and he shook his head, as if to clear his mind. After composing himself, he hurried towards the copper stove.
Chen An and Li Ying saw this and quietly withdrew from the valley.
Military Advisor Ji, wearing a wide black robe, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the copper basin, as if speaking to himself, or perhaps to Li Yan.
“The last day has come, are you confident?”
Although the words were soft, Li Yan heard them clearly in the quiet valley, and his heart suddenly tightened without reason.
But the situation had already reached this point, and he didn’t say anything more. He took a few steps forward to the copper furnace.
The mist above the copper basin was no longer the dark green color of before, but a pure black mist that was extremely thick and substantial, constantly churning and surging.
Li Yan saw that the liquid inside the basin was boiling, with a thick, dark juice like ink, and even the medicinal herbs inside were impossible to see clearly. There were only the sounds of gurgling and bursting bubbles…
Then, a wave of black energy rose up, and again merged with the surging black mist, making it even thicker…
Next, countless small black bubbles emerged from the basin, forming large black bubbles that burst and released a puff of smoke, repeating the cycle…
It was clear that the medicinal power had increased by many times compared to before.
Li Yan took a deep breath, stood up straight, and then inserted his hands into the dense, thick black mist. Instantly, ten strands of black energy pierced into his fingers.
But these ten strands of black energy were no longer like thin silk threads, but had thickened several times, becoming substantial and solid, like ten iron rods, fiercely piercing into Li Yan’s fingers.
Li Yan felt a pain in his fingers that was like a tidal wave, a pain that was like a raging wave crashing down on him, making his entire body tremble.
Although he gritted his teeth, he couldn’t help but let out a series of painful groans, and the pain spread from his fingers, along his arm, and began to assault his entire body.
If he hadn’t had the previous few dozen days of cultivation, he would have probably fainted from the pain.
Military advisor Ji stood beside him, watching Li Yan with an expressionless face, only occasionally raising an eyebrow, revealing his inner turmoil, as he fixed his gaze on Li Yan.
Time passed slowly, and after about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Li Yan’s expression had become dull, and he was constantly groaning, slowly retreating backward, until he reached the edge of the water pool.
At this moment, Li Yan’s mind was a complete blank, and he had even lost the thought of circulating his Qi. However, the thick, heavy black energy seemed to no longer need guidance, and was forcibly pouring into his body, flowing through his meridians.
At this time, Li Yan’s entire body was pitch black, his face was twisted and swollen, and his skin was covered in black veins. It was a terrifying sight to behold.
Li Yan felt his internal energy surging wildly, his body was about to explode, and countless hot, piercing energies were burning his internal organs like fire.
He struggled to maintain a thread of clarity, turned his head to look at Military advisor Ji, and opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Old… old… old… teacher, disciple…”
He couldn’t continue speaking, as his internal energy was in chaos, causing him immense suffering.
Military advisor Ji remained standing still, his face expressionless.
Li Yan’s vision gradually blurred, and his body began to sway, and after a few breaths, he fell backward, landing in the water pool behind him.
But the ten thick black energies still firmly grasped his fingers, even after Li Yan’s body sank into the water, they continued to swirl and writhe on the surface, like living serpents.
After falling into the water, a cold sensation washed over Li Yan, and his body also became extremely cold, which made him slightly more awake.
At this time, all he could see in front of him was the rippling water, and when he looked up through the water’s surface, he could vaguely see the distorted, motionless figure on the shore, refracted by the water.
Li Yan’s body was too weak to swim, and he sank downward into the water, even though he started to inhale the icy cold water, he couldn’t stop the chaotic, piercing hot energy flowing inside him.
His consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred, and in the last remaining thread of clarity, Li Yan let out a bitter laugh in his heart.
“Is this the path that my senior brother took?”
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